Sanford defeats Colbert Busch

Republican Mark Sanford has defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District special election. The victory caps a dramatic comeback by the scandal-tinged former governor, whose political career was left for dead four years ago when he was caught lying about an extramarital affair.

With three quarters of precincts reporting, Sanford led 54 percent to 45 percent for Colbert Busch, and The Associated Press called the race.

Story Continued Below

Sanford, waging a bid for political redemption three years after his fall from grace, went into Election Day with a head of steam. Polls showed the former governor closing on and then eclipsing Colbert Busch, a Clemson University administrator and the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, who just a couple of weeks ago looked poised for a major upset.

The former governor, who in 2009 admitted an affair after infamously claiming to be hiking on the Appalachian Trail, spent the final day in a frenzied dash across South Carolina’s Lowcountry. Once regarded as a viable potential presidential contender, Sanford had said the race would be his last if he fell short.

The race was triggered in December, when Gov. Nikki Haley appointed GOP Rep. Tim Scott to fill Republican Jim DeMint’s vacant Senate seat. It drew a cast worthy of Hollywood: Sanford, Colbert Busch, and Republican Teddy Turner Jr., the son of liberal media mogul Ted Turner, among other candidates.

Sanford cast himself as a changed man seeking a second shot. He easily prevailed in the primary over a crowded field of Republican opponents who struggled to match his fundraising power and universal name ID.

Then, in the general election, he managed to turn the race into a referendum on Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic establishment instead of himself. That was the winning play in the deep red district.